Stock Down: Noah Syndergaard
It has not been a good season so far for Los Angeles Dodger right-hander Noah Syndergaard and frustration reached its boiling point this week.
In a 9-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 26, he gave up eight hits, six earned runs over six innings. He never gave his team a chance as he gave two runs in the first and second innings, then one each in the third and fourth innings. He took the mound in the bottom of the first with a 1-0 lead, but exited after six frames with his team down 6-2.
His second start of the week was at home Wednesday afternoon against the Washington Nationals and once again, he was spotted an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but allowed two runs in the second, one in the third, and two in the fifth before he was pulled with his team trailing 5-4 in what turned out to be a 10-6 loss. He allowed seven hits, five earned runs, and three home runs in his outing. His frustration came out after the game with the media.
“I would give away my hypothetical first-born to be the old me again,’’ said Syndergaard.
In 11 starts this season, he’s 1-4 with a 6.54 ERA, something that needs to improve. In referring to his “old me’’ must be when he was a younger pitcher with the New York Mets, but he is far from the pitcher he was for six years in New York. The Dodgers need him to turn things around sooner rather than later or some decisions need to be made at the trade deadline.